How Technology Transforms the World of Comic Books

How do New York Times journalists use technology in their jobs and in their personal lives? George Gene Gustines, a senior editor in graphics and video who also writes about comic books, discussed the tech he’s using.

You’ve been writing about the comic books industry for nearly two decades. How has technology transformed the comics industry?

At a recent New York Comic Con, as I was strolling down the aisle and seeing comic book creators from Italy, Spain and France, I was struck by how global the creative community has become, which was definitely driven by advances in technology. I have images in my head of the early days of the industry in the 1930s, with artists working at bullpens, laboring over their pages to hit deadlines and turning them over to their publishers. These days, thanks to digital technology, freelancers can submit their pages in down-to-the-wire fashion from all over the world.

The internet has also given us a bounty of webcomics. I’m particularly fond of The Nib, which presents thought-provoking essays in comic panels. A few years ago, the site published the cartoonist Ronald Wimberly’s reflection on how shifting skin tones can convey subtle racism. More recently, another cartoonist, Tom Humberstone, shared his thoughts on the overlap of politics and sports.

Social media also allows fans, writers, artists, editors or other professionals to connect, comment on work and share works in progress.

And I need to give a shout out to Mike’s Amazing World of Comics, a fan-produced site that has a searchable archive that includes the cover, publication date and details about the book’s characters and story. I turn to it often to fact-check dates — or to get lost in nostalgia.

Tablets like the iPad offer compelling ways to read comics, like the ability to zoom in on each panel. And digital screens fade more slowly than paper. Are digital comics simply better than the print medium?

There is much to think about when it comes to digital comics. At the top of the list is the sheer convenience. New comics are released online every Wednesday, so for fanatics it is like Christmas every week. I’m so eager to read the latest offerings that I’m awake by 5:30 a.m. — when the new comics on Comixology — the go-to distributor of digital comics, which is owned by Amazon — are usually available. I download at least 10 comics per week and tweet about many of them — though I try to keep my musings spoiler-free.

Enlarging panels to appreciate the art is definitely one of the pluses of digital. Colorists and letterers are often unsung heroes on the creative side of comics, but reading digitally has made me appreciate them even more. The colors, in particular, pop.

There has been some experimentation — like Marvel’s Infinite Comics, where each tap or click would control the pacing, reveal a new image or show off a minor special effect, like blurring — but the experience of reading a comic digitally still does not feel dramatically different from reading one in print. But for me there is a line: I do not care for “motion comics,” which include sound and often feel like low-budget animation.

And I’m certainly not over print. During a recent meeting of a graphic novel book club (which we call the Murder Colonels, thanks to an extra-nerdy comic reference), a fellow member showed an “Absolute” edition of a story, which was printed on larger, sturdier paper that allows the artwork to truly shine. A double-page spread in a deluxe printing can be stunning to behold and worthy of study.

And there’s another advantage of print: easy sharing.

What are some of your favorite apps related to comics?

I use the Kindle app on my iPad to read comics by publishers that are not on Comixology. I also use the Dropbox app to receive previews of graphic novels sent by publishers or advance single issues sent by creators.

Next in line is the Marvel Unlimited app. It serves up current books on a six-month lag, but I use it to read classic stories.

Key Collector focuses on first appearances, iconic covers and milestone moments, so the listings are curated rather than exhaustive. The app also offers alerts about comics that might increase in value. (That speculation is often tied to announcements of TV or film adaptations.)

What other tech products are you and your family currently obsessed with?

My husband, Steven, loves the Sygic Travel Maps app. He uses it to plan our vacations and enjoys the robust, preloaded suggestions of places to see and the ability to collaborate with friends on the itinerary. The app also enables the purchasing of tickets for some of the featured cultural institutions. Of course, these trips are often peppered with visits to local comic stores.